Previously a military facility, the little patch of forest between Da’an and Wenshan districts is now a biodiverse habitat where Taipei’s herpers and hikers can come to get close and personal with the local wildlife. The short loop featured here makes an excellent night hike option with plenty of chances to encounter the area’s nocturnal residents.
Distance: A smidge under 1.5 kilometres. Although there are definitely more trails to explore if you have time.
Time: 45-60 minutes.
Total ascent: About 80 metres.
Difficulty (regular Taiwan hiker): 2-3/10 as a night hike — There are a whole load of interconnected trails here and even though I’ve visited quite a few times in daylight, I still had to use my map to stay on track.
Difficulty (new Taiwan hiker): 4/10 as a night hike for the same reason mentioned above plus the fact that there’s a little bit of elevation gain up uneven steps.
Risks and dangers: There’s a higher chance of encountering wildlife (snakes and creepy crawlies) on night hikes so loose clothes that cover your skin would be sensible. (But there’s no need to be unduly worried about snakes, they tend to be eager to get out of your way.)
Water: We visited on a warm June evening and took a small bottle each. Water can be sourced from a water fountain with a bottle-filling nozzle.
Shade: Not an issue for night hikes, but it’s shady even in the daytime.
Mobile network: Clear throughout.
Enjoyment: This is the second time I’ve done this particular night walk and we saw plenty of critters on both occasions. There’s a very high chance of spotting frogs and lizards, a reasonable chance of spotting snakes, and we also saw all of Taipei’s easily-sighted nocturnal mammals on this second visit.
Other: There’s no lighting for the majority of the walk, so you’ll need to take your own torch.
Bathroom facilities: There’s a toilet block at the entrance to the park.
Route type: Loop
Permit: None needed.
Jump to the bottom of this post for a trail map and GPX file.
The entrance to Fuyang Eco Park is invitingly lit, but as soon as you get past the toilet block (hidden behind the grasses on the right), the park is swathed in darkness.
The first junction comes within the first hundred metres or so and we turned
Then, after just another 100 metres, we came across the next junction and turned right again — this time up a steep flight of steps. (Later the trail loops back down to this spot.)
The air was absolutely full of the scent of jasmine as we approached the turn off for the the trail that would lead us up to the overlook spot.
Steps lead up through a tunnel of greenery that somehow feels much closer in the night than it does in the daylight. It was raining on the day we went so the trees were noisy too.
The first animal excitement of the night (aside from a scare caused by a giant snail falling off a wall) came in the form of this odd trio of bed-fellows. A large tree lizard had found a roost for the night, only to get mobbed by a lychee stink bug (below the leaf) and a long-horned beetle of some variety. The poor lizard was clearly being prevented from sleeping by this intrusion.
About 20 minutes after setting off, we reached a pavilion and turned right to find the overlook platform.
From up here, the city was a glittering blanket, with Taipei 101 standing tall amongst its posse of high-rises. As we stood there, a clattering in the tree above us grabbed our attention and we looked up just in time to see a flying squirrel launch itself across a 20-metre gap in the canopy to crash land on a trunk on the other side.
In clear weather, I think you should be able to see quite a lot further, but the rain had pulled a fuzzy cloak down over the far distance.
Heading back down again, we ignored the path we’d come up on, turning right at the pavilion, then immediately turning left to follow a flat trail along the ridge line.
A cicada going through its transformation from nymph to adult. We watched it struggle for a bit, and as we were studying it, a ferret badger bustled past on its way through the undergrowth.
Strangely, the steady rain that was cloaking the upwards climb with a light sheen was completely absent on the ridge and it wasn’t until we reached the turning on the left to head down again that we entered the damp.
Reaching a junction, we turned left and followed the upward slope of an old concrete trail to arrive at a small clearing with some seating and an opening in the trees that let us look out over the city.
At the clearing, the trail swings right down a short flight of steps to reach some benches, then at the benches, we turned left again.
This section of the trail seemed to have the greatest abundance of wildlife. In a very short stretch, we met this trio of sleeping tree lizards. The smallest one was just a wee thing, no more than about six centimetres long.
There were also a fair few tree frogs — some visible, most hidden but highly audible.
At the next junction, we turned right to head down a short flight of stone steps. An area of the slope just above the steps looks to have collapsed at some point in the not so distant past, and it has knocked out the railings, so extra care needs to be taken, especially if you don’t have wonderfully grippy shoes.
The reason for the increased biodiversity in this spot is the shallow pond bisected by this wooden walkway. It was absolutely teeming with frog life, so if you’re hoping to do some herping, this is the spot you’ll want to stake out.
And it’s not just herpetologists who will get excited — this spot was teeming with life of all kinds. In the trees, we spotted three (probably) masked palm civets. I say probably because the distance and darkness made it hard to be sure, but these guys tend to be bigger than ferret badgers and slightly more brazen in the way they hold your stare. Judging by the way two of them were grouped together and seemed to be dicking around rather than foraging, I think it could have been a mother and two kits.
The flowers and fig trees helped attract quite a lot of moths too. (Their eyes reflect a creepy red light if you shine your torch on them.)
Just beyond the pond, the trail reconnects to the clearing near the park entrance and we followed the stream all the way out.
How to get to Fuyuan Eco Park
Google Maps address: The park is a short walk from Linguang MRT Station. There’s plenty of scooter parking in the lanes nearby, but few car spaces.
GPS location: N25 01.000 E121 33.420
Public transport: The easiest way to arrive at the start is to take the Wenhu line and alight at Linguang Station.
Nearby trails:
Fuyang Eco Park Trail Map
GPX file available here on Outdoor Active. (Account needed, but the free one works just fine.)
Taiwan Trails and Tales 